“The German soul is God’s soul: it shall and will rule over mankind.”[E]—Pastor W. Lehmann.
The German Naval Prize Regulations naturally contain instructions for the guidance of German naval officers whose duty brings them into contact with neutral shipping. Thus, Article 81 directs that—“In stopping and searching a vessel under a neutral flag the commander must avoid, as far as possible, diverting her from her route. He will in general endeavour to cause the vessel as little inconvenience as possible. Especially in no circumstances may he require the master to come on board the warship or to send a boat, members of the crew, the ship’s papers, &c.”
Here is Article 82:—“If the commander wishes to stop a ship he must summon her to stop by signal and by sounding the siren. At the latest, ensign and pendant are to be shown simultaneously with this signal; by night the ensign is to be illuminated. During the chase it is not necessary to show the war flag, any mercantile flag may be flown.”
Article 113 states that—“A commander is only justified in destroying a neutral ship ... for carrying contraband ... for breach of blockade, or for unneutral service” if bringing her into port “might expose the warship to danger or imperil the success of the operations in which she is engaged at the time.”
Germany’s outrageous conduct with regard to neutral shipping dates back to 1915. Indeed, a book could be filled entirely with instances similar to the small selection here collected. German regulations, international law, and the dictates of common humanity have been freely disregarded by the German submarine service almost from the beginning of the war. There can be no doubt that the Imperial German Government speaks with one voice to the world and with another voice to its submariners, whose deeds show what kind of orders they receive from Berlin.
The Portuguese steamship Douro was bound for Oporto on the 3rd April, 1915, when at 3 p.m. she was torpedoed without warning. She began to sink rapidly, and at 4.30 p.m. the master and crew left the ship in their life-boat. Half-an-hour later the Douro went down. At 9 a.m. next day the life-boat reached Helwick Lightship, and at 4 p.m. that day the master and crew were taken off by the steamer Tudwall and brought to Swansea.
On the 14th April, 1915, the Swedish steamer Folke was 52 miles from Peterhead at 10 p.m., en route to Farne Island from Stavanger. Suddenly there was a big explosion under the stern of the ship; the propeller was blown off; and wooden pit-props in the cargo were sent flying through the air in all directions. The crew took to the boats, and after leaving the ship, the master, Captain Ohlssen, heard the noise of a submarine’s motor twice, first on one side of his boat, then on the other. He recognised the sound, having on several previous occasions seen submarines under way. The Folke remained afloat for about 2½ hours. There were no casualties.
On the 15th April, 1915, the Dutch steamer Katwijk, while on voyage from Baltimore to Rotterdam, was torpedoed by a German submarine. She carried a cargo of grain for the Dutch Government, and was lying at anchor 7 miles west of the North Hinder at the time of the outrage. A fire broke out soon after the explosion of the torpedo, and the vessel sank in 20 minutes. There were no casualties.
On the 19th April, our Minister at the Hague sent the following message to the British Foreign Office: “Minister for Foreign Affairs told French Minister to-day that German Foreign Office admitted to Netherlands Minister at Berlin that it was a German submarine which sank the Katwijk, and added that it was an unfortunate accident.” On the 20th April the German Government informed the Netherlands Minister that they would make enquiries, and, if proved that it was a German submarine, they would express their regret and indemnify the Netherlands Government for their loss. On the very same day, 20th April, the following was included in the German official wireless news: “The special Rotterdam correspondent of the Deutsche Tageszeitung reports that the description of the boat which torpedoed the Katwijk, and the behaviour of the crew, lead one to believe that the vessel was of English nationality.” On the 10th May our Minister at the Hague communicated this message to the British Foreign Office: “Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs tells me that he has just heard from Berlin that German Government acknowledge that Katwijk was torpedoed by a German submarine. German Government fully apologise for the mistake and promise an ample indemnity.”